Shane Mosley was holding court at his Sydney hotel after last week's press conference with Anthony Mundine when he spotted David Estrada – the Chicago light middleweight who had taken Mosley the distance in their 2005 bout at Caesars Palace.

"Is that David Estrada or just someone who looks like him?" Mosley asked Fairfax Media. "What's he doing here?"

After the interview Mosley aproached Estrada and asked him the same question.

"He was like, 'What are you doing here? Do you live out here now'?" Estrada said. "I told him, 'No'. I said 'I am in camp with the champ'."

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Estrada, who is hoping to fight again in December after winning his comeback bout in April following more than two years on the sideline due to a contractual dispute, has been working with Mundine for the past two weeks.

After completing their final sparring session ahead of next Wednesday night's bout at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Estrada said he believed Mundine's height and reach advantage would trouble the seven-time world champion.

"I think that will be a factor given that Mosley had problems when he fought Vernon Forrest and [Ronald] 'Winky' Wright," Estrada said. "They are both tall and rangy, so I think that is going to be factor.

"I think Anthony is right on target in terms of being ready for the fight. He is getting sharper, meaner, stronger as the sessions go by and it gets closer to the fight. The sparring has been rough, but it has been good."

With Mosley never having been stopped in his 57 bouts, Mundine needs every assistance he can get to overcome a man whose recent record of three wins in his last eight bouts is misleading as the four opponents who beat him were Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez. He also had a split decision draw with Sergio Mora, who has come to Sydney a sparring partner for Mosley.

"We're not talking fringe contenders here, we are talking the best pound-for-pounders in the world so I need to be on my game," Mundine said.

"But Estrada is a very seasoned, very experienced fighter. He has fought them all. He has fought [Andre] Berto and Kermit [Cintron] in their primes, and obviously Mosley. Not just that, he has given me good work and told me what I should and should not do."

Mundine's critics can say what they like but no-one in Australian boxing attracts a crowd to training like the former NRL star and Billy Dib, George Rose, Dean Widders and members of the touring Harlem Globetrotters were on hand to watch him work-out at his father's Redfern gym.

The bout will be Mundine's 50th fight, all of which have been shown on pay-tv, but this bout will give him more exposure than the others as it is being broadcast on ESPN in the United States and in England, the former Soviet territories, New Zealand, Canada and throughout Asia, including China.

"I truly want the country behind mebecause I don't feel like I fight for myself, I fight for my family, my people, my friends, my fans and the country," Mundine said. "We are fighting one of the best ever in the world and he is an American so I want the country to support me."

1 comment so far

Good to see a non-biased article written about Mundine and good to see an article that gives the legend Mosley the respect he deserves. Instead of ignorantly stating his recent record this article actually informs us who those opponents are. This will be an epic fight, Mosley is a legendary fighter, but Choc will be too much for him. Too big, too skillful and too quick.